Gertrude Simmons Burlingham facts for kids
Gertrude Simmons Burlingham (born April 21, 1872 – died January 11, 1952) was an important scientist who studied fungi. She was known as a mycologist, which is someone who studies fungi like mushrooms. Gertrude was especially famous for her work on two types of mushrooms called Russula and Lactarius in America. She was also a pioneer in using tiny details of spores (which are like seeds for fungi) and special iodine stains to tell different species of fungi apart.
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Her Life Story
Gertrude Simmons Burlingham was born on April 21, 1872. Her family lived on a farm in Lambs Corner, near Mexico, New York. She was the only child of Alfred and Mary Burlingham.
Education and Early Career
After finishing Mexico High School, Gertrude went to Syracuse University. She studied botany, which is the study of plants. In 1896, when she was 24, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree. Her main project was about a plant called Asplenium bulbiferum.
After college, she became a biology teacher at Ovid Union School in Ovid, New York. She quickly became the principal there. Later, in 1898, she moved to Binghamton, New York, to teach high school biology.
Becoming a Scientist
Gertrude then moved to New York City to study more at Columbia University. She earned her Ph.D. (a very high university degree) in 1908. Even though she had a Ph.D., she taught biology at Brooklyn's Eastern District High School until she retired in 1934. She never taught at a college.
While studying for her Ph.D., she worked at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG). She was the first woman to get a Ph.D. through a special program between Columbia University and the NYBG. At the garden, she worked with another scientist named William A. Murrill. She even named a mushroom, Russula murrillii, after him!
Her Research on Fungi
Gertrude's main focus was on the Lactarius and Russula groups of fungi. This was the topic of her Ph.D. paper and most of her other scientific writings. She wrote an important guide about these fungi for a book called North American Flora in 1910.
Another expert on Russula fungi, Ray Fatto, said that Gertrude was important because she noticed how important the tiny patterns on mushroom spores were for telling different species apart. Even today, these spore details are very helpful for identifying fungi. A fellow mycologist, Fred J. Seaver, said that Gertrude "had a wide knowledge of the fungi in general." He also noted that because she grew up on a farm, she was a great all-around naturalist.
Later Life and Legacy
After retiring from teaching in 1934, Gertrude moved to Winter Park, Florida. She joined several other retired mycologists there, including Henry Curtis Beardslee. She named another Russula mushroom after him and even wrote about his life when he passed away.
Gertrude collected fungi mostly in the Northeast United States and Florida. She also collected in the Pacific Northwest. In 1930, she traveled to Scandinavia to work with other famous mycologists like Lars Romell and Jakob Lange.
Gertrude Burlingham passed away in her Winter Park, Florida home on January 11, 1952. She was buried in Newfane Hill, as she wished.
She left her scientific papers, her personal library (which had some rare old books), and 10,000 dried fungi specimens to the NYBG. She also set up a fellowship there. This fellowship helped students studying mycology use the garden's resources. From 1956 to 1994, 27 students received this fellowship. Her papers at the library include many letters, research notes, field notes, hundreds of pictures, and about 60 watercolor paintings of fungi by another mycologist, Ann Hibbard.
Fungi Named After Her
Three types of fungi have been named in honor of Gertrude Burlingham:
- Entoloma burlinghamiae Murrill 1917
- Russula burlinghamiae Singer 1938
- Rhizopogon burlinghamii A.H.Sm. 1966
